Beauty Busts and Blunders

As a little beauty-lover in training, I adored watching my mother get ready in the mornings - spritzing on perfume and picking out her jewelry. One morning, she was in such a rush that I witnessed a beauty blunder I'll never let her live down. After styling her hair, she reached for a can of hairspray - only it was her deodorant spray - and proceeded to cover her head in it. Needless to say, she freaked. Lots of us have beauty mishaps we'd rather keep to ourselves. We got a few gals to share their beauty busts and blunders - and we tell you how to fix them!

Eye Don’t: “It was my wedding day, and I had my hair and makeup professionally done, but I thought my eyes needed a little more drama, so I pulled out my own eyeliner and started to line my upper lids a bit. One of my bridesmaids grabbed it out of my hand and to my horror, I saw that I was actually using the ball point pen I always kept in my bag. I almost fainted! We didn’t want to risk ruining the rest of my eye makeup, so I had to cover it up with actual liner and shadow until I could take care of it later.” – Michelle, 28

Fix It: If you’re dancing the night away and perspire, you don’t want ink running into your eyes. It’s dangerous and certainly unflattering. Remove it immediately – you’ll need 3 q-tips. Dip the first in rubbing alcohol (your venue should have one in a first-aid kit) and rub it over the line. It should come right off – just be super careful not to get it anywhere in your eyes. As soon as it’s off, dip a new q-tip in a bit of soap and water and gently rub over the area you cleaned. Finally, go over the area with the last q-tip which should just have water on it to remove any residue. Let it dry and reach for a real eye-liner.

Tape Trouble: “I was wearing a top that needed double-sided tape to stay in place. I had one at home, but it was the kind made for wrapping gifts and whatnot – not the kind made for your skin. I used it anyway, thinking it couldn’t do any harm. Well, after wearing it all day – I was smitten because my top required no adjusting at all. When I came home, I pulled the tape off, yelped in pain and now have to wear band-aids until my skin heals.” – Julie, 22

Fix it: Ouch! Try a bit of Neosporin to avoid scarring, but if you need to use anything other than tape made for your skin, make sure you’re prepared when you remove it. Take a cloth soaked in warm water and soap and press it over the tape to soften your skin and loosen the adherent. Then use a q-tip or tweezers to gently pry up the edges. As you do, press the cloth again, loosening the tape as you go. It should come off much more easily – without the pain. Moisturizer your skin afterwards to help soothe any irritation.

Hair Mishap: You may be wondering what my mother did after her deodorant disaster. She had no time to spare and little time to think, so she grabbed a ponytail holder and dealt with it on her way to work.

Fix It: If you find yourself with a head full of spray not made for your hair, opt for the ever office-friendly chignon or a low bun. Flip your hair over and rub it vigorously at the roots and all over to shake out any excess. You’ll also put some volume into your roots that would otherwise be weighed down. Pull your hair loosely into your style, leaving a few stray strands for a “whispy” look. You’ll looked pulled together and won’t have to feel your mishap on your neck and shoulders all day.